Gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner says she would cut the salaries of CA politicians in half
California gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner on Thursday said she could cut the salaries of California's elected leaders "in half" if elected.
The tweet comes after The California Citizens Compensation Commission (CCCC) voted on June 8 to increase the salaries of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and 132 other elected state officials by 4.2%, effective in December.
"Instead of rewarding myself with a raise like Gavin Newsom, as Governor I would reward regular Californians by cutting the salary of Sacramento politicians in half and returning that money to the people," the reality TV star and former Olympic gold-medalist tweeted with the hashtage #RecallGavin.
The CCCC is required to meet every year by June 30 to decide whether or not to make any salary changes for elected state officials, CalHR confirmed to Fox News.
Newsom's salary would get a boost of $8,800 to $218,500 per year, the Los Angeles Times first reported.
The average salary for California legislators is just over $100,000, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.
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A recall effort against Newsom launched last June over charges the governor mishandled the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
State election officials announced in April that a recall effort against the Democratic governor had garnered more than the 1.5 million valid signatures needed to make the ballot.
The effort was fueled by the state's COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and houses of worship, school shutdowns and even opposition to the state's high taxes. But discontent surged in the fall after Newsom was spotted having dinner at an ultra-exclusive restaurant, which – at best – skirted rules imposed by the governor to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
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CCCC Chairman Tom Dalzell told the Times that because other state employees have already received raises, he didn't "know what the rationale is for not giving" elected officials raises.
"By any measure, California is doing very well in terms of vaccination and infection containment. The economy is moving back," he said.
Newsom on May 10 proposed tax rebates of up to $1,100 for millions of households and more than $7 billion to help people affected by the pandemic to cover rent and utilities after the state announced that it has a nearly $76 billion budget surplus.
It was Newsom’s first in a weeklong rollout of pandemic recovery proposals totaling $100 billion, which could boost his political fortunes ahead of the recall effort.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.